WHY A CONFERENCE?

On October 16th 2010, Immigrant post will be holding its first annual youth conference. This daylong event will be addressing a very crucial issue facing the Somali Community; the issue of youth violence. This past year the Somali community has faced a very difficult situation, one that has forced use to critically look at the situation and problems our youth are facing. Immigrant Post will be hosting this event to not only bring the causes of this issue to light but to also give victims in the community a chance to heal each other through story telling.
October 16 will be a very important date in our community, we will have to be honest with ourselves and our youth and ask some hard but very important questions. The main question that we are sure many parents and community member will want to address will be; why our children? While working in the social service industry, I have come across many youths facing many different issues, however, the problem that is facing Somali youth is a very unique one. Many of the youth that have turned to a life of crime are not isolated or neglected children; instead they come very supportive families, families that want nothing more than for their children to succeed. However, with all of this support and guidance, youth feel they cannot participate in society in a worthwhile and meaningful way. In studying this interesting and heartbreaking situation, one must ask themselves; if it’s not the family unit that’s the problem then what is. I don’t have the answer to this important question but I do have some hypothesizes. The first one is, Somali youth don’t feel like they belong in Canadian society and this feeling is one that needs to be addressed at some length. Considering that many of the youth that have turned to a life of crime are Canadian born Somalis, this says something about Canadian society and its ability to make certain communities feel welcomed and empowered. My second hypothesis is history, Somali-Canadian youth have been raised in a community where their parents were still very much only in Canada physically. Many Somali adults who come to Canada after the civil war felt they would someday return home. Children who were raised in these homes were also very much involved and had vested interest in the country their parents left. Today, we are facing a situation where hopes of going back home are only a dream and there is less and less investment in actually making the move back to Somalia. Youth are now in a confusing place, not being able to call neither Somali nor Canada home and cannot becoming passionate about building a community in either countries.
The questions and issues that I have mentioned above will be discussed at length at the conference Immigrant Post will be hosting on October 16th, 2010. As the coordinator of this event, I am both excited and anxious to see the outcomes. Excited because I know that as Somalis we are very passionate and goal orientated individuals, that when committed we have the power and ability to do great things together. Anxious because I believe that this discussion should have taken place when the first Somali youth passed away at the hands of gun violence. I am anxious there will be many mothers and father who will need a shoulder to cry on, who deserve some answers, who are counting on their fellow brothers and sisters to give them support and understanding. However, with these feeling aside I know this day will be a success and that we will be able to make a tremendous difference in our community.
This conference will bring together all stakeholders who have an interest on this topic; we will have experts in Sociology and psychology, as well as community members, youths and families. The format of the conference will be large group discussions as well as small breakout sessions, this was designed in order to give everyone a chance to be heard and understood. We at Immigrant Post have thought long and hard about this topic and conference and have looked at all the ways to ensure its success. We believe that as Somalis in Canada we are a family and this conference will be a family meeting to discuss and find solutions for our children, parents, brothers and sisters. However, we will have guests from many different cultures, races and occupations, because as much as this is a Somali problem it is also a Canadian issue. We are looking forward to seeing you on October 16 and the success of this important conference.
For more information or to purchase ticket please contact at; Naima M.Togane or Hodman M. Duale at 416.243.6122

Public relations , Immigrant Post